SUJIT RANJAN KASHYAP
The Assam State Museum, which is situated in the heart of Guwahati city, is one of the major and most important tourist attractions of North-East India. It is also recognized as one of the largest multipurpose museums of India which provides an ample opportunity to the visitors to view various aspects of the incredible cultural heritage and the vibrant lifestyle of both ancient and modern periods of Assam.
The museum has completed its 74 years of glorious journey on 21st April, 2014.The Assam State museum Authorities have scheduled a wide variety of programs all over Assam to mark the glorious Platinum Jubilee Celebration of the museum throughout the year. The celebration will continue till 21st April, 2015.
This unique museum has a nationwide fame owing to its incredible range of collections including some priceless and rare objects belonging to the ancient Ahom Regime. The museum has been playing an important role in making Guwahati a unique Tourist Hub in the entire Northeastern region since its inauguration on 21st April, 1940.
Some interesting items displayed in the Assam State Museum include prehistoric sculptures, tribal artifacts, terracotta objects, copperplate inscriptions, golden coins and ammunitions including canons and cannibals belonging to various Ahom Periods, the Second World War relics including few Japanese bombs, traditional musical instruments and other interesting objects of different ethnic tribes of Assam, Ivory paintings having superb artistic look, ancient mythological books having recognition of being rare objects around the world, numerous archeological resources and priceless antiquarian monuments excavated in different places all across Assam including in and around Guwahati, metal wood works and traditional costumes etc.
The reconstructed ethnic huts are also one of the prime attractions displayed in the museum. At the moment on walking through these magnificent ethnic huts one will surely feel as if one has migrated into a Typical Assamese Village.
The story of construction of the Assam State Museum was indeed interesting. The Kamrupa Anusandhan Samity (The Assam Research Society, established in 1912), which was a pioneer organization in the field of Assam’s Historical and Antiquarian studies, established the Assam Provincial Museum in 1940.
Later it was rechristened as the Assam State Museum and was formally inaugurated by the then Governor of Assam Sir Robert Neil Reid on the auspicious day of 21st April, 1940 when the people of Guwahati were busy in celebrating the Rangali Bihu festival with gaiety and merriment. The contribution of Rai Bahadur Kanaklal Baruah, who was one of the most renowned persons of Assam at that time, is highly praiseworthy. All the collections of the Assam State Museum are preserved systematically in some uniquely built galleries having breathtaking architecture.
The Assam State Museum today is a priceless treasure house which houses over 14000 different kinds of objects, of which about 5000 are in display. The museum has also a Coin-Cabinet which holds more than 6000 coins of different ancient periods including the mighty Ahom Dynasty. A large number of visitors, starting from students to householders, set foot on this gorgeous museum to observe its incredible range of rare and priceless collections.
